


Could Be Better

by CharlieChalkers



Category: Borderlands
Genre: M/M, Pre-sequel!Jack, im sorry I have no idea how to tag, kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-25
Updated: 2017-04-16
Packaged: 2018-05-29 02:32:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6355363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharlieChalkers/pseuds/CharlieChalkers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rhys’s condition is getting worse, Angel won't even talk to him anymore and if Tassiter doesn't stop breathing down his goddamn neck at work, he is going to finally lose it.</p><p>Things could be better for Jack. A lot better. Because at the moment things just seem to keep getting worse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to my best bro in the whole wide universe for reading this over for me and just being a great friend in general c:
> 
> For some reason I've had the summary for this bouncing around in my head all week and I have no idea where it's come from but hey, at least I managed to write something. Sorry it's a bit short but it's the best I could get my mind to shit out XD Jack's probably ooc but I promise I'll try working on that for the next chapter.

The clean smell of hospitals always sets Jack on edge. It's like they're trying too hard to hide the stench of death and decay that would linger throughout the building if not for the copious amount of disinfectant.

But for now, Jack has to put that feeling of unease aside. Because he has to be here. He has to be here for Rhys after the accident that left him in more than a bad way.

When Jack arrives at Rhys’ room he feels a lump form in his throat, like a boa constrictor has wrapped itself around his neck, squeezing tighter and tighter but not enough to kill. Before him is not a pretty sight.

Rhys lays motionless in the hospital bed, the only signs of life the beep beep beeping of the machines he's hooked up to and the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he takes shallow breaths. The thin sheets are pulled up to his chest, with his left arm resting on top, several tubes connected to it.

The right sleeve of his medical gown lies flat and empty on the opposite side, and Jack just can't help staring at it everytime he visits, wondering what Rhys’ reaction will be when he finally wakes up to find it missing. 

That's what worries Jack the most, that even after at least a week since the accident, Rhys still hasn't woke up and still doesn't know what he's lost. All Jack can do is hope he'll be there when he does wake up, to comfort him and to care for him. To tell him everything is going to be okay.

Jack's eyes trail up to his boyfriend's face. His lips seem to be caught in a frown and it makes Jack wonder just what he's dreaming about. Maybe, just maybe it's something nice, or at least nicer than the current reality.

When Jack's gaze reaches his face, his throat grows even tighter as his breath gets caught momentarily. The left side of Rhys’ face was still swollen and scratched, despite the doctor saying there won't be any permanent scarring there. Damn Rhys for bruising so easily. A fairly new dressing has been applied over Rhys’ left eye, but it was already being stained crimson with small dots of his blood. Jack really didn't want to see underneath, he just couldn't bear seeing his boyfriend like this.

“Hey Rhys.” He whispered, kneeling down next to the bed, “please wake up soon, okay kitten? You need to get better so I can take you on that vacation I promised.” He smiled softly as he took Rhys’ hand, his only hand, into his own before bringing it to his lips to pepper light kisses into the skin.

The moment was soon lost when Jack's mobile started buzzing in his pocket. He took it out and looked at the caller ID. Tassiter. Great. He thought.

With a low growl of annoyance he pressed the answer button before laying on his best sucking-up-to-my-asshole-boss voice. “Tassiter! … Right now? … I'm visiting someone in hospital right now, can't it wait? … Okay fine.” He said before hanging up without a goodbye. “Asshole.” He adds in a grumble after double checking the call had been disconnected. He didn't need another incident again.

As he stood again he looked back down at Rhys, his lips in less of a frown now and more of a straight line. Almost peaceful.

“I have to go to work baby, but I promise I'll be back tomorrow.” He said before gently leaving a soft kiss in Rhys’ nose.

As he walked away from the hospital and towards his car Jack let out a string of curses under his breath. All he could do now was go to work and hope everything would be better soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter too waaaay longer to write that it was supposed to. School got in the way and then I dropped the draft in the bath my accident so I had to write it again. Oops XD Shoutout to my mum because she found this and I literally died of embarrassment but at least she's supportive of my choice to write gay fanfiction for the Internet XD

  
By the time Jack _finally_ gets out of work, visiting times are nearly over. He blames Tassiter for over-working him and giving barely any time for any kind of real break. Surely there are some kind if laws against that? Maybe when Rhys is better they could take him down.

Jack’s future planning is abruptly cut short when he pushes the door to Rhys’ hospital room open. Crouching down next to the bed was a young woman, a teenager really. Her face was buried into the crook of her elbows which were folded on top of Rhys’ bed.

“Angel?” Jack's voice is pensive, careful. Angel lifts her head up to lock blue eyes with mismatched ones. Something inside of Jack is pained to see her like this: red face, puffy eyes, cheeks damp from crying. It keeps telling him he should take her in his arms, wipe the tears away and just say he's sorry. Unfortunately a more stubborn part of him smothers that feeling down.

The pair stay like that for a few moments, just staring at each other, allowing the tension in the room to build and build, and the silence between them to stretch on for what felt like an eternity. It was almost like a game where the first to move loses.

Angel is the one to move first, rising from where she was crouched. She leaves the room, pushing past Jack without even uttering a word and Jack pauses for a second while he debates whether he should go after her or let her go.

“Angel, wait! We need to talk.” This time his voice comes out firmer, more demanding, as he ducks out of the doorway. She's just about to round the corner of the long, sterile corridor when she stops and turns to look at Jack momentarily, a distraught expression paints her features. It only lasts a moment though before she's gone again, straight out of the building.

With a sigh, Jack turns back into the room and kneels down in the same spot Angel was before.

“Rhysie,” Jack huffed, “how am I supposed to get my teenage daughter to listen to me?” There was a few second of silence where Jack was half expecting — full hoping — Rhys to answer with something about respect or some other bullshit that would make Jack scoff and roll his eyes.

However, all that could be heard is the monotonous beep beep beep of Rhys’ heart rate monitor. It makes Jack's heart sink to the deepest pit of his stomach. He would do anything for Rhys to wake up right now and tell him off for being a bad father. _Anything_.

“God, you're such a better dad to her than me.” His facial expression softened as he leaned forward to brush his lips against Rhys’ forehead.

“Oh, um, sorry to interrupt, but visiting times are over. You're going to have to leave.” Jack pulls away from Rhys’ body at the sound of the nurse's voice.

“Can I at least say goodbye?”

“Yes, of course. I'll give you a minute.” The nurse backs her was out of the room, leaving Rhys and Jack alone again.

“Please wake up for me tomorrow, Rhysie. I… I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah, I have a tumblr (actual-cannibal-lalnable-hector) if anyone wants to talk or anything idk.
> 
> Thank you for reading!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry, it has been nearly a year and this chapter had been written ages ago. I would say A-Levels are my excuse but I've been putting them off too...
> 
> So anyway, yeah I'm back with this hopefully. This chapter was supposed to be longer, but as most of it was written last year I didn't want to add what I had planned to it straight away in case it went a little weird. So the next chapter is going to be a short one I think.

Jack didn’t hate his job. In fact he loved programming. But what he did hate was his asshole of a boss. Him and pretty much everyone else in the Hyperion programming department.

Jack was pretty sure half of those idiots  were hired by  Tassiter  just  to annoy him. Half of them  probably  weren't even qualified for their positions.  Especially Henderson, the department head, who kept it no secret that he knew  literally  nothing about coding and was only hired because his brother’s friend’s niece knew Tassiter,  supposedly . That’s what Henderson himself said anyway, but no one believed him.

No wonder Hyperion was seeing a dip in productivity. And then who has to fix all the messes and pick up the slack the department leaves? Jack. Because Tassiter is an asshole.

“I don't see what the problem is here. There's nothing wrong with the freaking code.” Jack grumbles as he looks over the code for a new line of guns that  were supposed  to  be released  in a few months.

The primary tests were being carried out tomorrow, and the code hadn't even  been inserted  into the guns yet  .  All because Tassiter, being the asshole that he was, decided that the  perfectly  good code that Jack has written  personally  to avoid any cock-ups from the other stupid code-monkeys, had to  be scrapped  and re-wrote by the end of day.

Tired eyes scanned the screen for what felt like the millionth time that day, this time not  really  taking in any of the information before them  . It  was _supposed_ to be his day off, damnit! He  was _supposed_ to be with Rhys. What if he woke up and Jack was too busy performing pointless tasks for his asshole of a boss to be there?!

BZZZT! BZZZT! ... BZZZT! BZZZT!

His worrisome thoughts were  rudely  interrupted by his phone vibrating against the desk. Jack checked the caller ID, feeling a brief sense of daja vu, before  reluctantly  pressing answer.

“John, you better not be slacking off. Where is that code?” Tassiter’s voice was dry and emotionless. Jack hated it. “Don’t make me fire you.”

Jack  nearly  sighed, but stopped himself when he realised who he was on the phone to. “Look, I  just  don't understand whats wrong with the code. All the white box and black box testing showed positive results, so it should be fine and I checked — “

“I don’t care for your excuses John. Redo it and send it to R&D before morning, or you’re fired!” And with that (rather rude) interruption the line went dead.

Jack  nearly  screamed. Instead he  just  punched the desk before looking at the code again.  Nothing was wrong with it still, so he had a fiddle around with formatting and  quickly  tested it for about the thousandth time to check if he’d  accidentally  fucked up anything. If he sent it to R&D in a few hours Tassiter would be none the wiser. Besides, Jack knew it would work and Tassiter wouldn't even see it once R&D got their hands on it.

So he set himself a reminder and knuckled down with all the other work Tassiter had piled on him instead of spreading the workload more  evenly  with the other idiots in the department.

About an hour in, Jack was in the middle of a particularly boring report when his phone began to ring again. Except this time it was an unknown number.

“Hello?” He answered  slightly  irritated but also grateful for the distraction.

“Hello, is this Jack Lawrence? Rhys looks like he’s going to wake up soon.  We think  it would be best for you to get here as soon as possible.” Jack recognised the nurse’s voice  instantly . She had been very supportive and looked after Rhys a lot. His heart began skipping beats like crazy as he leapt out his seat and shrugged on his jacket in record time.

“I’m on my way. If I don’t make it in time will you tell him I lo-... tell him I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Jack raced out the room and down the stairs - there was no time to wait for the elevator and he knew Rhys wouldn’t mind if he turned up all sweaty and gross given the circumstances.

Unfortunately, life never worked in Jack’s favour.  In the lobby was none other than that asshole Tassiter, prancing around in his fancy designer suit and flirting  creepily  with the receptionist young enough to be his granddaughter. Gross.  Jack hated how Tassiter always acted like he owned the very ground everyone in his vicinity was standing on, which yeah okay  maybe  he did  technically  own the ground beneath the Hyperion building, but it didn’t mean he had to flaunt his riches like such an asshole.

If Jack was ever the CEO of a multi-billionaire company, he wouldn’t act like Tassiter.  He’d stay modest and only wear fancy clothes on special occasions and live in a small house with his family and everything they need  .  However  he would splurge out on Angel and Rhys without a second thought. He would be them everything and more. Angel could get that pony she always wanted as a child. Rhys’ hospital bills would  be payed  and he could get some of those shiny new cybernetics.

Jack was  rudely  torn from his fantasy world by Tassiter staring down at him with that permanent frown on his droopy face that did nothing to hide those hideous wrinkles.  Tassiter must have said something that Jack missed, if the expectant look and prolonged silence was anything to go by.

Naturally  , Jack  just  blagged it: “He _eey_ boss man!  Just  the guy I wanted to see! But I do need to rush off now so can we talk later?” He was  just  about to slip away, out of the doors and straight to Rhys, when a boney hand stopped him.

“Not so fast, John. Are those reports finished? The code all done and sent off to those hard working engineers in R&D?”

“Yes, everything's in my office I just  need to - “ Trying his hardest to hide his scowl, Jack attempted to slip under the boss's hand and escape again. It didn't work.

“I know you’re lying, John. We’re going back upstairs and I'm going to see for myself what you've been spending your time doing.” With a sly smile, Tassiter lead Jack towards the elevator and back up to his workstation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My tumblr URL has changed so its now skin-pizza if you want to find me or prompt me or talk or whatever (but my inbox is very dodgy I'm sorry).

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
